A Portrait Of An All-Female Militia

In a war-torn Syria, the female fighters of the YPJ patrol dusty roads and ruined villages, rifles in hand and resolve in their eyes. Defying tradition, they take up arms not only to defend their land but to claim a new place in society — one shaped by strength, resistance, and purpose. 

The YPJ, or Women’s Protection Units, is a female-only branch of the YPG, the official armed forces of Kurdistan, or Rojava. They stand in opposition of ISIS’s occupation of Syria bravely, fully knowing capture means rape, torture, and death. As a result, these women strive to succeed in battle or, in the event of imprisonment, become a suicide warrior to evade such. It’s understood that their presence is feared by the former caliphate, who believe being killed by a woman to be humiliating and shameful. Indeed, they played an impactful role in liberating Kobani and rescuing the Yazidi community in Iraq, illuminating the plight of Kurds in Syria and beyond in the process.  

In current times, joining the YPJ has given purpose to Kurdish women in the wake of Trump’s removal of American troops from north-east Syria in 2019. Zeynab Serekaniye, a Ras al-Ayn local, illustrates this purpose after fleeing from her hometown because of the loss of US protections. After her family was forced to resettle farther south, Serekaniye made the courageous choice to join the YPJ. While her mother immediately objected, concerned for her daughter’s safety, Serekaniye was resolute, saying, “We’ve been pushed outside of our land, so now we should go and defend our land.” She had not always thought this way, but the experience of displacement triggered a need to fight for her freedom and security. Hence, Serekaniye is one of almost 1,000 women across Syria who have joined the YPJ in recent times and she shows no regret, expressing that “Now women can fight and protect her society. This, I like.”